Walk a Straight Line (16 page)

Ugh! Please. Get a room
.

If they were going to maul each other like that in public, then they should've just stayed home. Francine looked out of her window and spied her son and his wife making out—hugging and kissing like lovebirds.

She grimaced in disgust at their public display; then she turned away from the window and folded her arms.

That girl was turning her son into a sick sex-starved puppy. Maybe Colleen was addicted to it and was now dragging her son down that immoral and unseemly road. He was going to be appointed as a minister in February, and that hussy had him behaving like a commoner in broad daylight!

Francine wouldn't be surprised if they did “it” in the daytime, all the time. Colleen didn't appear to have any shame about her. But, Francine plastered a smile on her face as she saw the couple finally emerge from their car. She could be civil to the gal, especially since she had a surprise due any minute.

She suffered a brief moment of doubt . . . until they entered her home.

“Hey, Mom. Thanks for having us.”

The paltry greeting her son gave her was reason enough to stiffen her backbone. Where was the usual bouquet of flowers and New Year's gift? Last year, she'd gotten tickets to see
The Color Purple
on Broadway.

But this year, she was looking at her bare hands. Well, she wasn't having it. She would go ahead with her plans and would prove Colleen a fraud. Colleen could never love Terence more than his own mother.

Well, Colleen and Terence's love and marriage were about to suffer a major shakedown and Francine would be right there to help her son pick up the pieces, as any good mother would.

 

 

Gina and Keith entered the hall together. They made a dynamic couple. She noticed how all the other women were checking Keith out, and she subconsciously claimed her turf by moving closer to him.

Gina looked at Keith and realized that he had caught on to what she had done. He didn't say anything but tentatively reached out to take her hand. She put her hand in his and felt the heat of some envious glares. She had no right staking a claim on Keith when he was now free to play the field. Keith had told her about Eve's leaving to be with Bass.

Gina privately thought that Eve was out of her mind—or blind—or stupid. Keith was gorgeous. He had the mannerisms, etiquette, and drive, to match his good looks. She didn't understand how another woman could just pass that up.

Gina looked at Keith. The brother was just plain fine. He filled out his tuxedo as if it were sewn onto him. When she first saw him, she'd forgotten how to breathe. If she were prone to drooling, she would have. But instead, she had gulped and prayed that she would make it through the night without doing something dumb like making a pass at her man's brother.

Keith liked the feel of Gina's hand in his. He too was staking his claim. He had noticed a few men who were checking out Gina's generous assets outlined in the gown that she was wearing. It was black and silky, and she was wearing a pair of shoes that highlighted her pretty little purple toes. Those shoes should have been patented for exclusive use in the privacy of her home. They were just too hot for words.

Keith imagined Gina dressed in those shoes in her bedroom, and he felt a huge pang of envy. Michael was going to take a trip to paradise tonight. Keith closed his eyes to bring his jealousy under control. He vowed that he would enjoy this night with Gina; then he would let her go. He had to. Michael wanted to marry her.

Keith knew that he needed to jump out there and start dating again. That would divert him. Then he felt Gina close her fingers around his, and he turned to her with a smile. He was kidding himself.

They found their places and sat down to eat some of the appetizers. The deejay was very good. He had started to spin some slow jams and the air filled with thoughts of love and romance. Keith led her to the dance floor.

She asked, “Do you think this is a good idea?”

Keith put two of his fingers over her lips to silence her. He didn't want to question anything tonight. He merely wanted to ride these sensations as far as he could. He drew her close and reveled in the feel of her in his arms. She felt so small and yet so right. Keith drew in her scent and bent over to nuzzle the top of her head. Gina's body arched into his, and she moved in tune with him. Keith closed his eyes and began humming along to the music.

 

 

Gina was so close to Keith that she could feel him breathing in and out. When he started humming to the music, the sounds reverberated through her body. Gina could feel herself responding to him and the atmosphere. Tonight was a night for people in love. The deejay transitioned into another slow jam. Gina and Keith continued moving.

As their bodies got used to each other, they adjusted into an even more intimate position. One of the other lawyers in Keith's firm tried to cut in, but Keith turned him down flat.

Gina was shocked but flattered. “That wasn't nice,” she chided.

“I'm not known for being nice,” Keith countered. “He can have you when I'm done and that may never happen. That's what Rafael gets for trying to interrupt my groove.”

“That's chauvinistic!” Gina said, with a laugh. Keith was so blunt at times.

“I didn't say that I wasn't chauvinistic either,” Keith replied. Then he drew Gina back into his embrace. He moved his hips suggestively that left no doubt in Gina's mind that he was feeling the same way that she was.

They continued dancing until the music died down. Then they returned to their seats in a sweat. Moments later, the bosses began an overview of the year and the progress that had been made.

Keith was awarded with a plaque for his hard work for the year, particularly on the Marshall case. He received a standing ovation.

Gina's chest swelled with pride for him, knowing that Keith had been surprised. He clearly was not expecting the award, and he stumbled through the appropriate thank-you speech.

She was glad to have been there to share this moment with him. She knew it had to feel good to be recognized and admired by so many of the other professionals in his field. Keith came over to her and placed the plaque in her hands. He was beaming.

“Vanessa would've been proud of you,” Gina said softly, smiling from ear to ear.

“Thank you. Hearing you say that means a lot to me.”

She checked her phone and saw that she'd missed a call from Michael. However, instead of leaving a message, he'd sent her a text. Honey, something's come up. A small emergency. Need another hour or so. Gina exhaled with relief and quickly replied with a No prob. Take your time. If she were honest with herself, she would admit that she'd barely given Michael a second thought. She was glad for the extra time with Keith.

“Everything all right?” Keith nudged her shoulder.

“Oh yeah,” Gina nodded. “Michael needs more time for this big surprise he's planned.”

“Oh,” he smiled.

Just then, the music blared. This time, the deejay was playing jams like the Cha, Cha, Cha, and the Electric Slide.

“Ready for round two?” Keith asked.

“I'm more than ready,” she purred.

Gina and Keith joined in with the crowd. They stayed on the dance floor getting down to every type of music the deejay threw at them. When the calypso and reggae came on, Keith held Gina's leg, gyrating his hips as close to her as he could. Gina surprised him with a few tantalizing moves of her own.

Before they knew it, it was time for the countdown. Gina suddenly felt a little nervous. She hadn't thought about it. The
kiss
that usually followed the countdown. The two looked at each other as time seemed to stand still. They could hear people shouting “Eight! Seven! Six! . . . One!” Gina and Keith shouted, “Happy New Year!!”

“You only live once!” Impulsively, Keith grabbed her and crushed his lips against hers.

Gina felt powerless to resist. She thirsted for it. He started kissing her as if he were a man who had been starving for days. Helpless to resist, she opened her mouth. Keith devoured her, exploring every hidden recess of that delicious cavern.

Gina challenged him when she returned his kiss with every bit of passion that she possessed.

Keith moaned and moved closer.

Gina pulled away, breaking contact. “Whew,” she exhaled.

The crowd around them was still cheering, kissing, and celebrating.

Gina and Keith looked at each other mesmerized at what they had just done and what they had shared. The kiss had been a scorcher and a shock to both of their senses. They had both fantasized about it but never for one second imagined that it would feel like that.

Gina's tongue came out of her mouth to lick her lips. She stepped back and blinked several times. “I c . . . I can't do this,” she stammered.

“I know. You're right.”

“We'd better go,” Gina said.

“Yeah.”

“I feel like Cinderella,” Gina exclaimed. Inside, she was dying . . . dreading the night to end.

“I know what you mean. It's midnight and now I have to return you back to your rightful owner.”

“Partner,” Gina corrected.

“Yeah,” Keith conceded. “You missed your calling because nothing ever passes you by.”

“Except you.”

Arrghh
—when will he learn?

Michael couldn't for the life of him figure out why Karen would choose New Year's Eve to return to his place. She claimed she needed to get something she'd left behind, which sounded convenient
and
suspicious to him—especially since she knew about his big plans for Gina. The woman was plain diabolical.

Why didn't he keep his big mouth closed? But when she'd called him earlier that day to wish him a Happy New Year, suffering from a case of verbal diarrhea—he'd blabbed about asking Gina to marry him.

As soon as he said that, Karen had been adamant that she had to get her forgotten item—one she refused to divulge even at his insistence. Why he'd given her permission was beyond him.

He had just gotten ready to leave Keith's when Karen called, screaming, at about nine p.m. “Mikey, you've got to hurry up and get over here.”

Hearing her frantic tone, he asked, “What happened?”

“I went into the bathroom to get my—ah—item, and when I reached up, somehow I pulled too hard and broke the showerhead.”

Uh-oh
. He didn't need this now. “Why didn't you call me? What did you need to get?”

“I didn't want to bug you; besides, I thought I could fix it myself. But, I think I damaged the entire thing. Mikey, hurry! There's water everywhere.”

Michael had rushed over to his place to find his bathroom in an unmentionable state.
Will this woman never fail to cost me money?
“Why are you doing this to me?”

Water was flowing everywhere. He attempted to reach up to stop the flow and had only managed to get both him and Karen soaking wet.

“Great. Just great!” Michael ran to the kitchen, opened the miscellaneous drawer, and hunted for some duct tape. “Bingo.” He snatched the huge roll. He had to use almost the entire thing to stop the water from running. Karen had already used up a roll of paper towels to stuff the hole. It was a huge mess.

“What did you have to get that was so important?” he lashed out.

“This.” Karen held up the tiny piece of underwear. “On a whim, I'd left it wrapped around the showerhead for Gina to see. But then I had second thoughts, and we'd come too far for me to resort to a childish prank. Especially since I'm with Arthur, and well . . .” Karen stopped. She gave him a sheepish look, holding up the “item” for him to see. “Sorry. Old habits die hard.”

With a deep groan, Michael picked up his cell and called for a plumber. He didn't even bother to answer her. He couldn't even be mad. She was trying to atone for her stupid stunt, but, as usual, at his expense. He rolled his eyes.

Together they waited for almost two hours for a plumber to arrive to try to fix the damage. He'd told her to leave, but Karen's attack of conscience made her stay put. She wouldn't budge. “Not until it's all fixed again,” she'd declared.

Hiring a plumber on New Year's Eve was no easy feat, but the front-desk clerk knew someone. He looked at his watch. The hours had just flown by. He'd finally had to text Gina to tell her he would be late.

Lucky for him, she'd been real cool about it. Not many women were as understanding as she was. He couldn't resist eyeing the time again. He sure hoped he made it out of this mess before Gina arrived. He and Karen were still wrapped up in huge bathrobes waiting for their clothes to dry. He didn't think to put on more suitable clothes. Besides, he had practically moved everything he owned to his brother's house.

Michael sighed, not knowing how he always managed to get himself into these kinds of jams. Karen put the television on, and the two listened to the countdown and rang in the New Year. She reached over, pecked him on the cheek, and said, “Happy New Year, Mikey. Please believe that I'm sorry.”

Michael relented. “It's okay, Karen. I know you didn't do this on purpose.” He hugged her in return and opened a bottle of champagne, resolute to make the best of a bad situation. They even shared another glass with the plumber.

At precisely one twenty-three a.m., the plumber proclaimed the job finished. Michael investigated the shower and was amazed to see everything looked as good as new. He could barely tell that it had been completely unhinged a few hours ago.

Michael gave the plumber a hefty tip and walked him to the door.
One down and one to go!
He was extremely hopeful. He began to spread out the trappings for his romantic rendezvous.

“Let me at least help you,” Karen offered. Once she helped him get everything ready, she gathered her things to take off to meet Arthur, who was now waiting downstairs.

Michael hugged her. “Good luck. I wish you happiness.”
Now, get out of here,
he thought.

Karen bid him a warm “Good-bye” and opened the door.

She came face to face with Gina.

“Who was that?” Gina asked Michael with a dangerous glint in her eye.

He looked at her with a comical expression of disbelief. “Why didn't you call?” He blurted out the first thought that came to his mind.

“I did. Now answer the question.” Gina tapped her feet.

“That was Karen,” Michael answered lamely. He saw the look on Gina's face. Apparently that answer wasn't good enough. He sighed, knowing that he would have to give Gina a more in-depth explanation. He went to pour himself another glass of champagne and began talking. He told Gina about Karen needing a place to stay and how he'd agreed to let her live there until she got back on her feet. He made sure to point out that she'd moved out. He couldn't surmise her reaction, so he just kept talking.

Gina remained silent until he had finished his story. “So, that's why you've never invited me to spend the night here,” she affirmed.

Her calm tone put Michael at ease. “Yeah—well, no, at first, yes—but, I was mostly at Keith's house.”

Gina pointed her finger as she paraphrased, “So, let me see if I have this right. Your girlfriend—no, excuse me, ex-girlfriend who moved out, came by tonight—on New Year's Eve, I might add—to get something, broke your showerhead—and, blah-blah-blah.”

Underneath her calm demeanor was a seriously ticked-off woman.

“Yeah,” he answered.

To Gina, he looked and sounded like a buffoon. “I just want to know one thing. Since you've met me, have you slept with her?”

“Ahh . . . Once. I did once, and it never happened again after that because I—”

Gina lifted her hand. “Save it.” She gathered her coat and quickly plucked her cell phone out of her coat pocket and speed dialed Keith to see how far away he was. A thought occurred to her. Gina quickly disconnected the call. Keith was Michael's brother. She couldn't call him. He probably knew all along. All this time, he must have known and had said nothing.

Gina headed through the door and ran down the hallway.

“You're leaving!” Michael shouted the obvious.

“You finally caught on!” Gina shouted back and pressed the elevator button. Thank goodness the elevator was right there and opened up for her instantly. Michael was now fast on her heels. Gina didn't hesitate. She just jumped right in.

As the door closed in Michael's face, she showed him the crude finger. That summed up all that she had to say to him. She never planned to rest eyes on Michael Ward ever again.

Gina caught a cab to her house. She paid the driver and entered her home. She could see her message button beeping but determinedly ignored it. Gina looked at her cell and saw that Michael had called quite a few times. She noticed that there was even a phone call from Keith's cell phone.

But for once she was able to ignore it. At this time, Gina did not want to hear anything from either one of them. On the ride over she had started to wonder if the two of them had been in cahoots all along. Maybe she was part of some sick bet between them, and they each wanted to see who could bag her first. Maybe she was all a game to them. She honestly didn't know what to think.

Gina could feel herself begin to defrost and hurt was taking center stage. She sniffed her nose several times and kept her lips tightly closed to keep from crying. She felt betrayed by Michael and Keith. She'd given each of them her trust and a piece of her heart and this was what she had been dished.

Imagine, that for once in her life, she had bought the reformed dog story—hook, line, and sinker. When had her natural-born cynicism disappeared? She had been too busy being taken in by their magnetism to think straight.

She sighed, sat down, and miserably looked down at her dress. This was indeed a Cinderella night because her Prince Charming had just turned into a huge pumpkin, and the other brother was definitely a rat.

Her doorbell rang.

Concerned, she peered through her curtains to see Keith standing on her doorstep. He saw her. She knew that he saw her, but Gina had already decided that she was not going to answer the door. Stubbornly, she let it ring.

Stubbornly, Keith kept up the insistent peal. “I'll keep pressing it until you let me in,” Keith said through the door.

Fine.
Gina went and opened the door. He used his body width to ensure that she let him in. The big oaf. She had to step aside so that he could fit in her doorway. She was too angry for words.

Once he had some room to work with, Keith barged into her home. He took off his coat and sat on her sofa. Gina sat down, but she did not utter a single word.

 

 

Keith could feel the heat emanating from Gina's upright body. She was way past angry. “Michael called me, and I knew that I had to come by. I couldn't sleep until I knew for sure that you were okay.

Gina raised her eyebrows to let him know that she was okay. She still did not speak.

Keith sighed, knowing that this was going to be hard. But still he pressed on. “Gina, I know that you're understandably angry at both of us, but I just wanted you to know that Michael really does love you. He wasn't trying to play you at all. That whole thing with Karen is way in the past, and things between them were over, just the way that he said.”

Gina's hissing teeth let Keith know that she was not impressed with his or Michael's explanations. Michael had called him upset, to the point of tears. Keith did all that he could to calm him down. He had been overwrought at the thought of losing Gina. It was only when Keith assured him that he would try to get through to Gina that Michael had simmered down.

Keith knew that of the two of them, he had a better chance of getting in her house than his brother did. So far, that was all he had managed to do. Gina was a suppressed mass of extreme anger.

“Gina,” Keith said softly. He dropped his voice, hoping that his tone would help in soothing her ruffled feathers. “You know how I feel about you. I wouldn't lie to you about this.” He saw that she had involuntarily leaned closer to hear him. So he continued, “Gina, I am in love with you. I only have your best interest at heart. I wouldn't have let my brother near you if I didn't think that he had genuine feelings for you. It's hard for me to admit this, but Michael even talked of marriage.”

Gina's mouth dropped open.

Okay, now she seemed a little more receptive. He dared to reach out his hands to touch her. He had to make some sort of physical contact with her. His heart was breaking to see her so hurt and confused. “I know that you probably don't want to believe me,” Keith said with such gentleness that she finally made eye contact with him. He could see the tears in her eyes that she allowed to fall.

“But if you don't know anything, you must know that I love you, Gina. I wouldn't lie to you. I wouldn't hurt you. Believe me, the way I feel about you, I would not have let my own brother deceive you. He loves you, babe. We both do.”

Gina reached her hands over to caress Keith's cheeks. He leaned in and gave a tight hug. She relaxed against him.

“I love you too, Keith,” Gina whispered. To Keith, that admission had come from her soul. It had been torn from her very being.

Keith tensed at her declaration and withdrew from the hug. “Gina, what're you saying?”

“I said,” Gina gulped, “I love you, Keith, and I know that you wouldn't hurt me. Tonight made me realize that I've got to stop kidding myself. I want you, Keith. I guess I should be glad that Karen was there, because I wasn't ready to talk to Michael about marriage. Not tonight. Not after the kiss we shared.”

“I know,” Keith soothed. He drew her close to him and gently rested his chin on her head. This time her hair spelled like apricots. “Gina, the way I'm feeling now, I know I've got no business being here. If I was a loyal brother, then I would leave right now. But my heart has a mind of its own. And it's overjoyed that you love me.” As he spoke he shifted, until he was whispering in her ear.

Gina confessed, “I feel so guilty.”

“I know,” Keith comforted her by rubbing her shoulders. “Imagine how I must feel. But, Gina, we cannot continue like this. We have to do something about it. We have to make a decision tonight.”

“What kind of a decision?” Gina hedged and pulled out of his arms. She addressed him with troubled eyes. “I'm horrified at the thought of hurting Michael in any way, even though he's hurt me. Basically, I would be helping to destroy a strong bond between you and your brother.”

Keith's heart spoke for him. “I know the ramifications, but you are a risk I'm willing to take. I'd like to hope that, in time, Michael will find it in his heart to forgive me. But the way I feel about you, I'm willing to take that chance. Are you?”